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When I started riding last October, I immediately bought a set of gear with both jacket and pants of the Tourmaster variety.
I chose the Caliber pant (awful garbage, see my previous review) and the Transition 4 jacket. They zip together.
The Tourmaster Transition 4 jacket has held up well, and been a remarkable value. I feel comfortable endorsing it as a starting jacket for a new rider, since that's what I was a year and ~13000 miles ago. Just...maybe if you live in the desert, try to find something with more ventilation - more on that below.
I've ridden almost every day since then. Lots of to and from work. Lots of weekend trips, both long and short.
I haven't ridden in the greatest variety of weather. Being based in the desert, I've mostly seen hot, dry, and dry, slightly-below-freezing to moderately-cold temperatures, with light or no precipitation. Rain is mostly confined to certain times of year; I've yet to be caught in a real downpour. I can therefore speak to the cold-weather performance of the jacket, but have no direct experience with its waterproof-ness.
The Transition 4 has a textile shell, which would become soaked in a heavy rain. It also has a water-resistant, permanently-installed lining. This does impair the breathability. I'll be shopping for a new jacket for that reason alone, before next summer.
That's because in the summer, this jacket is HOT. Damn hot! I don't want to suffer through another New Mexico summer in it. The shoulder and back vents do help, but you're going to be toasty. Soak a neck gaiter (like the excellent Mission Multicool) and your T-shirt for best results. In summer stop-and-go traffic, you still gon' sweat. A lot.
Since I've only owned the one set of gear, I can't say how the Transition 4 compares to other jackets in the heat. But there are definitely lighter-weight jackets, without built-in waterproofing, and with more venting.
There are also mesh jackets, but those aren't a great idea for desert summers.
In cold weather, the zip-in thermal liner helps. It's not very thick, and is nothing space-age. Just light polyester stuffing in a nylon shell. Still, every layer counts. It's pretty quick & easy to install or remove the liner.
One advantage of the waterproofing liner and general heaviness of the jacket: with vents closed, wind doesn't have a chance. I bet you could ride through a snowstorm without a single flake getting in.
Again due to the generally heavy fabric, you won't have trouble with loose jacket material flapping in the wind. There are snaps on the arms to buckle down any excess material. I haven't needed them, as my massive powerlifter meathooks fill the sleeves out nicely.
Fit is partly up to you. I have a 46" chest, wear size 40 pants, and bought the jacket in 2XL. Under it, I have room for a thermal shirt & sweater, even with the thermal liner installed. I'm sure you could easily fit an electric vest in there. Hook and loop tabs at the waist give you some room to adjust for extra layers and...uh, "jacket shrinkage."
This roominess does help a bit in the heat, as does the mesh lining. There's room for moist air to circulate and cool off one's core on a 100-degree desert day.
Despite heavy use, no part of the jacket is all that worn. Some of the hook & loop doesn't hold quite as well as it did when new, but not to the point that I've had it replaced. The main visible signs of wear are on the sleeves. There is some roughing and pilling of the fabric near the sleeve cuffs. The latter is probably from contact with my full-gauntlet gloves, which I always wear over the sleeve. You'd have room to tuck the gloves inside the sleeves if you wanted.
Often, on the less-expensive gear, you hear about things like zippers and pocket linings wearing out early. None of mine have, I'm happy to say. I don't keep pointy rocks in any of the pockets, but I do stash my house keys and extra motorcycle keys in some of them. No holes have been poked in pocket linings yet, nor do I feel any holes developing. All zippers still work 100%, including the water-resistant ones.
The jacket doesn't have any special provisions for use of heated gear, like you find on some of the higher-end stuff. I simply ran the cable for my heated gloves out the bottom.
The included shoulder & elbow armor is fairly ordinary, CE-1 rated padding. It's reasonably easy to remove for washing. Speaking of which, I've washed the jacket three times since I bought it. Machine washings with cold water and Woolite, and letting it dry while lying flat, have been kind to the jacket.
The back armor is kind of a joke, just thin foam. It doesn't even have a CE rating. You might want to supply your own back plate. I started wearing a Helite Turtle airbag vest, which has a Sas-Tec 1621-2 rated back plate built in. I took out the Tourmaster foam back pad.
I haven't tested the rain hood built into the collar, since as I said I've never yet ridden in heavy rain. In theory, the hood keeps water from dripping off your helmet and down the back of your neck. Seems like a worthwhile feature.
The zip-in collar extension is hugely beneficial to comfort in colder weather. With hook 'n' loop you can adjust its tightness. The material stops the wind and keeps the cold off your neck reasonably well, while providing a super comfortable barrier between your chin and the collar. In sub-zero, windy conditions, you might still want something like a Windjammer or Aerostich's Fleece Wind Triangle to protect your neck.
That's all I can think of for now. If you can think of something I didn't cover, just ask!
I chose the Caliber pant (awful garbage, see my previous review) and the Transition 4 jacket. They zip together.
The Tourmaster Transition 4 jacket has held up well, and been a remarkable value. I feel comfortable endorsing it as a starting jacket for a new rider, since that's what I was a year and ~13000 miles ago. Just...maybe if you live in the desert, try to find something with more ventilation - more on that below.
I've ridden almost every day since then. Lots of to and from work. Lots of weekend trips, both long and short.
I haven't ridden in the greatest variety of weather. Being based in the desert, I've mostly seen hot, dry, and dry, slightly-below-freezing to moderately-cold temperatures, with light or no precipitation. Rain is mostly confined to certain times of year; I've yet to be caught in a real downpour. I can therefore speak to the cold-weather performance of the jacket, but have no direct experience with its waterproof-ness.
The Transition 4 has a textile shell, which would become soaked in a heavy rain. It also has a water-resistant, permanently-installed lining. This does impair the breathability. I'll be shopping for a new jacket for that reason alone, before next summer.
That's because in the summer, this jacket is HOT. Damn hot! I don't want to suffer through another New Mexico summer in it. The shoulder and back vents do help, but you're going to be toasty. Soak a neck gaiter (like the excellent Mission Multicool) and your T-shirt for best results. In summer stop-and-go traffic, you still gon' sweat. A lot.
Since I've only owned the one set of gear, I can't say how the Transition 4 compares to other jackets in the heat. But there are definitely lighter-weight jackets, without built-in waterproofing, and with more venting.
There are also mesh jackets, but those aren't a great idea for desert summers.
In cold weather, the zip-in thermal liner helps. It's not very thick, and is nothing space-age. Just light polyester stuffing in a nylon shell. Still, every layer counts. It's pretty quick & easy to install or remove the liner.
One advantage of the waterproofing liner and general heaviness of the jacket: with vents closed, wind doesn't have a chance. I bet you could ride through a snowstorm without a single flake getting in.
Again due to the generally heavy fabric, you won't have trouble with loose jacket material flapping in the wind. There are snaps on the arms to buckle down any excess material. I haven't needed them, as my massive powerlifter meathooks fill the sleeves out nicely.
Fit is partly up to you. I have a 46" chest, wear size 40 pants, and bought the jacket in 2XL. Under it, I have room for a thermal shirt & sweater, even with the thermal liner installed. I'm sure you could easily fit an electric vest in there. Hook and loop tabs at the waist give you some room to adjust for extra layers and...uh, "jacket shrinkage."
This roominess does help a bit in the heat, as does the mesh lining. There's room for moist air to circulate and cool off one's core on a 100-degree desert day.
Despite heavy use, no part of the jacket is all that worn. Some of the hook & loop doesn't hold quite as well as it did when new, but not to the point that I've had it replaced. The main visible signs of wear are on the sleeves. There is some roughing and pilling of the fabric near the sleeve cuffs. The latter is probably from contact with my full-gauntlet gloves, which I always wear over the sleeve. You'd have room to tuck the gloves inside the sleeves if you wanted.
Often, on the less-expensive gear, you hear about things like zippers and pocket linings wearing out early. None of mine have, I'm happy to say. I don't keep pointy rocks in any of the pockets, but I do stash my house keys and extra motorcycle keys in some of them. No holes have been poked in pocket linings yet, nor do I feel any holes developing. All zippers still work 100%, including the water-resistant ones.
The jacket doesn't have any special provisions for use of heated gear, like you find on some of the higher-end stuff. I simply ran the cable for my heated gloves out the bottom.
The included shoulder & elbow armor is fairly ordinary, CE-1 rated padding. It's reasonably easy to remove for washing. Speaking of which, I've washed the jacket three times since I bought it. Machine washings with cold water and Woolite, and letting it dry while lying flat, have been kind to the jacket.
The back armor is kind of a joke, just thin foam. It doesn't even have a CE rating. You might want to supply your own back plate. I started wearing a Helite Turtle airbag vest, which has a Sas-Tec 1621-2 rated back plate built in. I took out the Tourmaster foam back pad.
I haven't tested the rain hood built into the collar, since as I said I've never yet ridden in heavy rain. In theory, the hood keeps water from dripping off your helmet and down the back of your neck. Seems like a worthwhile feature.
The zip-in collar extension is hugely beneficial to comfort in colder weather. With hook 'n' loop you can adjust its tightness. The material stops the wind and keeps the cold off your neck reasonably well, while providing a super comfortable barrier between your chin and the collar. In sub-zero, windy conditions, you might still want something like a Windjammer or Aerostich's Fleece Wind Triangle to protect your neck.
That's all I can think of for now. If you can think of something I didn't cover, just ask!
